This came from the Executive Secretary of the commission Florentina Ukonga on Monday in Lagos at the GoG conference on the maritime sector.

“While other countries and regions are reaping the benefits and returns from the blue economy, West Africa, for example, is estimated to be losing about $2bn annually from illegal fishing,” Ukonga said.

“Its coastal sector remains largely underdeveloped and poorly governed, which has enabled other forces from outside the continent to benefit more from it than its citizens.

“Approximately, 57 per cent of fish stocks are fully exploited and another 30 per cent is over-exploited, depleted or recovering.”

According to her, “No individual state can effectively and prudently manage its maritime domain. We must collectively, continue to manage the human activities that are negatively affecting our seas and oceans.”

Egobiambu Emmanuel is a Mass Communication graduate from the University of Benin.
He is a media enthusiast, loves reading and writing, and has a special interest in personal development. Emmanuel is a reporter with Concise News.